The LAU-61C/A rocket launcher carried nineteen unguided 2.75-inch diameter folding-fin aircraft rockets and was used on a variety of U.S. Air Force aircraft. The reusable aluminum launcher allowed for single or ripple firing of the rockets. Its design allowed the rockets to stay in the same container from their manufacture, through shipping and storage, to their final firing.

Aerodynamic fairings covered the front and rear of the launcher during flight. The forward fairing disintegrated upon rocket launch to allow the weapons to easily exit. The open tail fairing acted as a funnel to direct blast debris away from the aircraft.